Barrel assembly for non-lethal personal defense devices

ABSTRACT

A barrel assembly for delivering non-lethal projectile (pepper ball, for example) to inhibit a living target, using various personal defense launching devices (paintball gun and other compressed-gas-powered launchers, for example), compact and automatic pistols as launching devices, method to launch pepper gel directly with a launching device, methods to effectively and swiftly rupture, spread and disperse the content of the non-lethal projectile to reach a target far away and at very fast speed, and tactical methods of the use of the barrel assembly, a barrel assembly has metal pins installed or built-in at the exit, said metal pins pinch and rupture the non-lethal projectile after said projectile has been accelerated inside the barrel. Variations of the pins include using gear-teeth, orifice or reduced inner diameter of the barrel at the exit, near the exit or in the middle of the barrel. A variation of the use of the barrel assembly is to launch more than one non-lethal projectile during one launch to increase the delivery dosage and covering areas.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the first application and no claim of related applications ishereby incorporated by reference.

REFERENCES CITED US Patent Documents

6,494,195 B2 December 2002 Perry et al Barrel Assembly with Removable .. . 6,668,815 B1 December 2003 Fernandez Self-Aligning Paintball GunBarrel . . . 6,823,857 B2 November 2004 Perry et al Barrel Assembly withRemovable . . . 6,386,113 B1 May 2002 Pinney Non-Lethal Weapon Systems6,546,661 B1 April 2003 Staubs Gun Mounted Sprayer 6,196,419 B1 March2001 Haney et al Pistol-Shaped Cap for Use in . . . 5,950,611 ASeptember 1999 Lopez et al Paintball Gun Having Movable Gas . . .

OTHER PUBLICATIONS US Patent Application and Other Publications

20030152619 A1 August 2003 Stevens et al Method and Apparatus for . . .20030047105 A1 March 2003 Vasel et al Non-Lethal Projectile Systems20020134055 A1 September 2002 Martinz, Jr. Method for Manufacturing . .. 20030129138 A1 July 2003 Loghman Non-Lethal Incapacitation . . . WO2004006679 A2 January 2004 Chiasson Extracts Derived from Plants . . .20030010330 A1 January 2003 Jong Paintball Marker Loader . . .20040020946 A1 February 2004 Fleischhauer Self-Defense Device . . .20030056638 A1 March 2003 Poole Non-Lethal Personal Defense . . .20030034404 A1 February 2003 Truelove Pressurized Sprayer 20020176254 A1November 2002 Kostal et al Combined Self-Defense Device 20030047174 A1March 2003 Tiberius et al Semi-Automatic-Firing Gas Gun 20030106545 A1June 2003 Verini Non-Lethal Handgun 20050011507 A1 January 2005 WebbProjectile Firing Device using . . . 20050005924 A1 January 2005 ShengPaintgun with Pneumatic . . . 20040144012 A1 July 2004 Adams CombustionGas Powered . . . 20040134476 A1 July 2004 Smith et al PneumaticallyOperated . . . 20030131514 A1 July 2003 Rice et al Paintball Marker WO2004073361 A2 August 2004 Nerheim Electronic Disabling Device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to barrel assemblies for non-lethalpersonal defense devices, and more specifically to launchers thatdeliver non-lethal chemicals to an animal or human target usingprojectiles containing said chemicals. The launchers include, but notlimited to, pressurized-gas powered devices, such as a regular paintballmarker or paintball gun. The projectiles can be paintball-sized ballscontaining pepper spray liquid, pepper powder, pepper gel and otherchemicals.

The most commonly used non-lethal personal defense devices includepepper sprayers, pepper-ball launchers and stun guns. However, thesecurrent devices have their own shortcomings that severely limit theirapplications.

U.S. Patent Application Publication 20020176254A1 to Kostal et al.reported a compact pepper sprayer, which combines a regular peppersprayer with a flashlight. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,546,661 and 6,196,419 toStaubs and Haney et al., respectively, disclosed two similar gun-mountedsprayers. Both of them are actually regular sprayers mounted on amechanism operated similar to a regular handgun—using the trigger of thegun to activate the sprayer. All of the above compact sprayers arelimited in applications by the short distance that the spray can coverand by the slow speed that the spray is delivered to the target, eventhough these sprayers are compact, effective under the rightcircumstances and truly non-lethal to the living target.

U.S. Patent Application Publications 20040020946A1 (by Fleischhauer),20030056638A1 (by Poole) and 20030034404A1 (by Truelove) discussedpotentially much larger sprayer systems than the compact sprayers. Theselarge sprayers work similarly to the compact sprayer in principal bydirectly delivering the non-lethal pressurized chemical agents to thetarget in a form of spray. Although their sprays can cover much longerdistance, the large sprayer systems are slow in speed and not convenientto use due to their large sizes.

U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al.discussed a non-lethal projectile for non-lethally inhibiting a livingtarget using multi-functional launching devices. It also discussedmethods of the use of such non-lethal projectile: by using launchersthat work in the same way as a paintball marker or paintball gun, theprojectile is delivered to the target and the projectile body rupturesupon impact on the target, releasing the chemical substance inside ofthe projectile. Using this method, the chemicals can be delivered to atarget much farther away and at much quicker speed than using a regularsprayer. However, the projectile needs to directly hit certain areas onthe living target to be effective, causing unacceptable uncertainties inaiming, especially at moving targets. Further more, some projectilesfail to rupture after impact, very similar to regular paintballs used inthe sport shooting game.

PCT Publication WO 200407336A2 by Nerheim of Taser International Inc.reported the latest development about Taser stun guns—a device used fordisabling living target by providing an electric current throughelectrodes and the target in a circuit having an air gap between anelectrodes and the target. The 50,000-volt current passed between thetwo electrodes is believed, by some, to be the cause of some deathsamongst the people who have been hit by a Taser stun gun. The realcauses of those deaths are being disputed by various parties involved,but there is one thing for certain—the high voltage current definitelymakes the Taser stun gun more lethal than the pepper-spray-baseddevices.

In summary, most commonly used non-lethal personal defense devices arelimited in applications by their own shortcomings and remain a source offrustration for users and law enforcement agents. A cost-effective,compact, swift, effective and truly-non-lethal personal defense devicecan certainly help promote homeland security in the United States and ismuch needed by the public.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the aforementioned problems by providinga barrel assembly for delivering non-lethal projectile, such as a pepperball, to a living target, using various personal defense launchingdevices, such as compressed CO₂-powered paintball gun and othercompressed-gas-powered launchers. More specifically, the barrel assemblyhas metal pins inside its bore. The said pins are located near the exitof said barrel assembly and are in the path of the projectile in orderto pinch and rupture the non-lethal projectile after the projectile hasbeen accelerated inside the barrel. The prototype barrel assembly usedwith a CO₂-powered paintball gun has shown that the method caneffectively break, spread and disperse the content of a non-lethalprojectile, that the substance inside the projectile can reach a targetmuch farther away and at a much faster speed than a regular spray. Sincethe projectile is ruptured at the exit of the barrel, the chemicalsubstance in the projectile is widely dispersed before reaching thetarget and covers a large area that is similar to a regular pepperspray, effectively forming a bullet pepper spray. Such a pepper spray,scientifically named as oleoresin capsicum, can temporarily incapacitatethe living target instantly. As a result, precise aiming at the targetis not required and only “point-and-shoot” is needed. A barrel assemblydisclosed in the present invention used in a CO₂-powered paintballhandgun, such as the ones disclosed in U.S. Patents ApplicationPublications 20030047174A1 and 20030106545A1 to Tiberius et al. andVerini, respectively, firing a pepper ball, such as the ones disclosedby U.S. Patent Application Publication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al, iswell qualified as a cost-effective, compact, swift, effective andtruly-non-lethal personal defense device.

Variations of the barrel assembly include using non-metal pins, blades,gear-teeth, orifice or reduced inner diameter of the barrel at the exit,near the exit or in the middle of the barrel.

A variation of the use of the barrel assembly is to launch more than onenon-lethal projectile during one launch to increase the delivery dosageand the covering area by the chemical substance released from theprojectile. Two as well as three paintballs have been successfullylaunched by the prototype barrel assembly during one launch with aCO₂-powered paintball gun and showed significant increase in the area onthe target covered by the paint.

The pressurized-gas-powered launcher can be a pistol (disclosed in U.S.Patents Application Publications 20030047174A1 and 20030106545A1 toTiberius et al. and Verini, respectively), a rifle (such as thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,611 to Lopez et al., U.S. PatentsApplication Publications 20040134476A1 by Smith et al and 200301315A1 byRice et al) and other alternative types (U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication 20030047105A1 by Vasel et al).

Further aspects of this invention will become apparent in the DetailedDescription and by reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein by referenceand in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates one preferred embodiment of the present inventionincluding the barrel installed in a regular pistol paintball gun and themetal pins at the exit of the barrel.

FIG. 1B illustrates the expanded partial view of the preferredembodiment of the present invention in the direction of arrow B in FIG.1A.

FIG. 1C illustrates the expanded partial view of the preferredembodiment of the present invention in the direction of arrow C in FIG.1A.

FIG. 2 shows a variation of the present invention—a barrel assemblyinstalled in a regular pistol paintball gun—including the barrel and capof the barrel with an orifice located near the exit of the barrelassembly.

FIG. 3A shows another variation of the present invention—a barrelassembly installed in a regular pistol paintball gun—including thebarrel and cap of the barrel with four (4) gear-teeth located at theexit of the barrel assembly.

FIG. 3B illustrates the partial view of the barrel assembly shown inFIG. 3A in the direction of arrow D.

FIG. 4 illustrates a profile view of a human target as the bullet sprayfrom a pepper ball launched using the present invention covers andincapacitates him.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, and which show, by way ofillustration, specific embodiments or processes in which the inventionmay be practiced. Where possible, the same reference numbers are usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like components. In someinstances, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention,however, may be practiced without the specific details or with certainalternative equivalent devices and methods to those described herein. Inother instances, well-known methods and devices have not been describedin detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C show a CO₂-powered paintball pistol 1, similar tothe one disclosed in U.S. Patents Application Publications 20030047174A1to Tiberius et al., installed with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention including barrel 7 and metal pins 22, 23, 24 and 25 at theexit of barrel 7. Pistol 1 is mainly consisted of CO₂ cylinder 2, handle3, pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Pepper ball 5 canbe made using the methods disclosed by Vasel et al. in U.S. PatentApplication Publication 20030047105A1. Trigger 6, when pressed, releasesa portion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas pushes pepperball 5 in barrel 7 towards the exit. Pepper ball 5 is swiftlyaccelerated to a very high speed (at least 100 meters per second) beforereaching metal pins 22 through 25. Although a minimum of three (3) pinsare needed to pinch the ball and to achieve the desired results, asingle pin can still rupture the ball. Therefore, the number of pinsused could vary. There are different ways to insert the pins into thebarrel. The easiest way is to tap threads in the barrel and screw thepins in, as shown in FIG. 1A.

As pepper ball 5 passes through pins 22 through 25, it is ruptured andthe liquid pepper substance inside is dispersed by the high pressure gasbehind and by the air resistance ahead, as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 showsa partial view of barrel 7, in which pepper ball 5 is about to beruptured by pins 22 and 23 during a launch. The ruptured pepper ball 26,with its pepper substance traveling at 100 meters per second, is quicklyspread into spray 27. Spray 27 is further dispersed into an even largerspray or plume 28 completing the formation of bullet spray 29 beforereaching human target 30.

FIG. 2 discloses barrel assembly 8 according to the embodiment of avariation of the present invention. Barrel assembly 8 is consisted ofbarrel 7 and barrel cap 10. Barrel cap 10 is screwed to barrel 7 viathreads 13 and sealed by o-ring 9. Barrel cap 10 has the same orslightly bigger inner diameter than barrel 7. Similar to the pistolshown in FIG. 1A, pistol 1 is consisted of CO₂ cylinder 2, handle 3,pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Trigger 6 releases aportion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas accelerates pepperball 5 in barrel 7 towards exit 12. Orifice 11 is near the exit and hasa smaller diameter than the inner diameter of barrel cap 10. Pepper ball5 is ruptured as it squeezes through orifice 11 at very high speed.

There are different ways to attach barrel cap 10 to barrel 7 as well asdifferent ways to rupture pepper ball 5, resulting in other variationsof the barrel assembly. A metal mesh installed at the barrel exit,outside of the barrel, for example, can not only break the pepper ballbut also trap the debris of the pepper ball shells, preventing possibleminor injuries to the living target.

FIG. 3A discloses a variation of barrel assembly 8 according to theembodiment of a variation of the present invention. Barrel assembly 8 isconsisted of barrel 7 and barrel cap 14. Barrel cap 14 is attached tobarrel 7 via pins 15 and sealed by o-ring 16. Barrel cap 14 has the sameor slightly bigger inner diameter than barrel 7. Similar to the pistolshown in FIG. 1A, pistol 1 is consisted of CO₂ cylinder 2, handle 3,pepper-ball loader 4, pepper ball 5 and trigger 6. Trigger 6 releases aportion of the compressed gas in cylinder 2. The gas accelerates pepperball 5 in barrel 7 towards exit 18. Pepper ball 5 is ruptured bygear-teeth 17, 19, 20 and 21, as shown in FIG. 3B.

While certain preferred embodiments have been described and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of, and not restrictive on, the broad invention.Other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in theart, including embodiments that do not provide all of the features andadvantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of thisinvention. Further, it is to be understood that this invention is notlimited to the specific construction and arrangements shown anddescribed since various modifications or changes may occur to those ofordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by theclaims that follow. In the claims, a portion shall include greater thannone and up to the whole of a thing. In the method claims, referencesequences are used for convenience of description only, and do notindicate a particular order for performing the method.

1. A barrel assembly for launchers for launching non-lethal projectiles, said projectiles contain disabling substance and are designed to rupture upon impact on target, comprising: a launch barrel within the launcher body or attached to the launcher body; a set of metal pins, blades, gear-teeth, metal mesh or an orifice coupled with the barrel, located inside the bore of the barrel at the exit, near the exit, in the middle of the barrel or right outside of the barrel at the exit.
 2. A method of non-lethally debilitating a target using a non-lethal projectile comprising a projectile body containing an inhibiting substance, such as pepper liquid, pepper powered and pepper gel, said method comprising: launching a projectile at high speed from a launch device and rupturing the projectile by mechanical forces at the exit, near the exit or in the middle of the barrel of the launch device, dispersing the inhibiting substance contained in the projectile at the time of rupture, delivering the substance to the target in the form of spray, plume and/or mist.
 3. A CO₂ powered, highly compact and fully-automatic pistol for launching non-lethal projectiles, the pistol is mainly consisted of a trigger mechanism; a bolt assembly and a valve assembly.
 4. A CO₂ powered, highly compact and fully-automatic pistol for launching pepper gel spray, the pistol is mainly consisted of a trigger mechanism; a bolt assembly and a valve assembly.
 5. A method of non-lethally disabling a target using pepper gel said method comprising: launching a plug of pepper gel at high speed from a launch device, said pepper gel plug is accelerated in the barrel of the launch device by high pressure gas, dispersing said pepper gel plug at exit of the barrel, delivering the pepper gel to the target in the form of spray, plume and/or mist. 